An updated mobile app allows visitors to nearby “Christmastown USA” to see how long it will take to navigate the holiday lights route during busiest times.

Wade Allen

An updated mobile app allows visitors to nearby “Christmastown USA” to see how long it will take to navigate the holiday lights route during busiest times.

The free app also indicates points of interest along the route in McAdenville. It can be accessed via the Internet on mobile devices including tablets and smart phones.

The website, ChristmasTownTour.com, can be accessed via desktop computer to provide information leading up to a visit to McAdenville.

The app, released last year, was created by chief designer and programming architect Tim Van Haren, of CC Communications Inc., in Charlotte. He also updated the app for this Christmas season.

One new feature of the app allows drivers in line during peak viewing times – Friday and Saturday nights – to see approximate wait times from different points along the 1.3-mile route. It works whether you arrive from Wilkinson Boulevard or I-85, said Mel Collins, vice president of human resources with Pharr Yarns.

He said the feature is in its rudimentary stages and hopefully ways to make wait times even more precise will emerge.

Wait times are calculated based on how quickly cars move through town on nights with heaviest traffic. Collins said cars travel 1 to 1½ mph through town on Friday and Saturday nights.

Countdown

Another new feature on the app will provide a countdown when the lights are turned off for the evening. Collins said it should particularly help people coming from out of town to see the approximate wait times and about how long it’s going to take to see the lights display while they’re in traffic.

He hopes it will give people waiting in line a better sense of whether or not they’ll be able to make it through town by the time the lights are switched off for the evening.

Kip Cozart, president of CC Communications, said the app also includes detailed information about lights displays along the route. A GPS indicator pinpoints where you are.

“At each point along the route is a special point of interest that gives information about the display they’re looking at, so that visitors can learn more about the heritage and the story behind a lot of the different displays along the tour,” Cozart said.